your fabulous, flawless face!
One of the most important components for your wedding photos (aside from your naturally beautiful newlywed smile) is an even skin tone and perfectly balanced complexion.
Beauty starts within
To truly glow, your skin needs to be healthy from the inside! While spending late nights on Pinterest throughout your wedding planning and research, be sure to take a quality multivitamin each morning to keep your skin healthy. Wash it down with LOTS of water! Hydration is so important in keeping skin bright and youthful. Grab a fun, monogrammed tumbler, slice in some lemons, and take your H2O on the go!
For increased nutrition, easy, inexpensive smoothies are an awesome breakfast on the go and chock full of key skin-nourishing nutrients. My personal favorite is what I call Hulk Smash, because it gives me my morning energy! A quick blend of frozen bananas, frozen mango chunks, carrots, fresh spinach-kale blend, flax or chia seeds, one vanilla Greek yogurt, and some low acid OJ in the Nutri Ninja. Sixty seconds later, you're ready to go with a delicious, nutritious treat full of Vitamin C, VItamin A, and antioxidants! It may look like you're about to get slimed on Nickelodeon's Double Dare with this drink, but it is tastier than it looks... If you're not into the green color, make the same drink without the spinach and kale - still awesome and great for your skin!
Photo Courtesy of Daily Burn
Revitalize your skin
One thing most women are guilty of is not removing all of their makeup each night. Skipping this one minute routine causes serious blemishes due to dirt and oils trapped in pores overnight. Grab a pack of Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes and store them in your nightstand for those lazy nights when you're cozy in bed watching Fixer Upper on HGTV and want a quick face cleanse without getting up.
Most nights, however, washing your face after removing your makeup is your best route for flawless skin. A great gentle, inexpensive face cleanser is Olay's Sensitive Skin Foaming Face Wash. If you have the funds - definitely check out the Clarisonic. I have yet to try it (I have tried a few lesser expensive competitors such as Ulta Dual Action Cleansing System, which still works fairly well). These battery operated face brushes are super exfoliators and awesome to use once or twice a week for deep cleansing. After patting your skin dry with a soft terry cloth towel, moisturize with your favorite face cream or lotion. My recent favorite is actually Neutrogena Naturals Multi Vitamin Nourishing Moisturizer. It's amazingly gentle on sensitive skin and I really like the silky feeling it gives my skin at night. Put on a comfy sleep eye mask, hit the pillow, and you'll be right on the speedway to dream land.
Two of my favorite go-to skin care products I use in the morning before I put on my makeup for the day. CoverFX Custom Infusion Drops with Vitamin C + Lemongrass smell AMAZING and gives your skin a dewy, silky feel. I place four drops on my fingers and gently press the oil into my skin. While that is soaking in my pores, I dip my ring finger lightly into Clinique's All About Eyes cream-gel and dab lightly around my undereyes, as I have very dark circles and puffiness. The combo of these two products is fabulous and truly gives life to my morning routine. Both products are a little pricey, but a little product goes a really, really long way. CoverFX is available on Dermstore.com and they usually have great deals and coupons (and FREE shipping!).
"I'm ready for my close-up!"
Most brides opt for a professional makeup artist, however if that's not in your budget (or you just like the way you do your own makeup), here are a few products that will make your skin look amazing in every photo! Best part is, you will have plenty of product after the wedding to use for your honeymoon (and beyond) also!
CoverFX Cream Concealer - thick, yet creamy and light concealer to dab on all of those pesky blemishes, dark circles, and any discoloration (p.s. order from Dermstore - they are the BEST).
Josie Maran Argan Enlightenement Illuminizer - press this magical argan-infused highlighter right above your cheekbones for a dewy glow.
Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation - this drugstore find is a favorite of mine, as well as many popular YouTube beauty bloggers. It truly has amazing staying power and gives a flawless airbrushed finish when applied with a beauty blender. I have also used this with Smashbox Photo Finish primer and COOLA finishing spray and did not budge for almost twelve hours. This product may not be prestige level, but it does perform very well for the price tag!
Photo Courtesy of models.com
Follow the blog for more beauty and health tips - next month, we're making super easy essential oil sugar scrubs to polish your skin to perfection for those strapless gowns!
